These Cancer-Sniffing Dogs May Be the Key to Fighting Ovarian Cancer

Just in case you needed a reason to "aww" over some adorable puppies today, we've got a great one for you: the adorable pup above is one of four being trained by the Penn Vet Working Dog Center—part of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia—to sniff out ovarian cancer.

Chemists and physicists are working with the dogs in hopes that they may be able to help isolate cancer chemicals. Before you get carried away and start imagining dogs roaming through hospitals and doctors' offices, sniffing out cancer, this partnership was actually designed so that the scientists can create nanotechnology sensors that would allow them to detect tiny bits of cancerous tissue.

It's the same thinking behind police dogs and rescue dogs, who can sniff out things humans can't even dream of smelling, and service dogs who have been trained to respond to diabetic emergencies or seizures. “Ovarian cancer is a silent killer,” says veterinarian Dr. Cindy Otto, the founder and executive director of the Working Dog Center. “But if we can help detect it early, that would save lives like nothing else.”

According to George Preti, a chemist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, there are unique chemical biomarkers responsible for ovarian cancer. The Penn Vet Working Dog Center's job is to teach the dogs how to recognize the scent of those unique biomarkers; then, the physicists will be responsible for developing a mechanical, hand-held sensor that can do the same.

Ovarian cancer only accounts for three percent of all cancers in women, but it causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. So, needless to say, these dogs (and scientists) have a big job ahead of them. But, potentially saving lives and playing with cute pups all day? Doesn't sound so bad to me!